Newsletter November 2018

posted by Go Gentle Australia | 35sc
November 09, 2018

News Update

As you know, last year Victoria was the first state to pass Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation, which was the result of a year long enquiry, followed by an Expert Ministerial Advisory Panel and more than 100 hours of parliamentary debate.

But now this landmark legislation is under threat.

Earlier this week Dying with Dignity Victoria launched its campaign No More Debate, ahead of the upcoming state elections on 24 November, to ensure MPs know you want to keep this law.

This law has the support of more than 70% of Victorians. In October, a joint report [PDF] from the right wing IPA think tank and its left wing counterpart Per Capita ranked it as the most outstanding example of evidence-based policy making in Australia since 2016.

We are a little sad to announce that Professor Brian Owler has stepped down from our board of directors, following his announcement he will contest the seat of Bennelong for the Australian Labor Party in next year's elections. We would like to thank him for his contributions and extraordinary commitment of dedicating many (unpaid!) hours to Go Gentle Australia. We wish him the very best!

The WA Government's response to the report of the Western Australian Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices is due later this month. Unnecessary suffering at end of life, and broad community agreement regarding individual autonomy, form the basis for the Committee’s recommendation that the Western Australian Government draft and introduce a Bill for Voluntary Assisted Dying. The Committee also recommended a Bill be drafted in consultation with a panel of experts.

If you live in WA please contact your local MP today to strongly encourage the Government to put forward this legislation.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Best wishes

Kiki PaulCEO

Go Gentle Australia is a registered charity. All donations over $2 are tax deductible.